


Pine Overcoats & Rainbow Bridges

by TheBlackLagoon



Series: Meet Your Baker [1]
Category: Pushing Daisies, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, I haven't seen Pushing Daisies in years so this is not an exact au, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Steve starts off dead but is brought back to life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27465400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackLagoon/pseuds/TheBlackLagoon
Summary: Death is a funny thing. Not piss your pants laughing kind of funny. Bizarre, curious, odd, strange, queer. That, kind of funny.Of course, it does become funny, when you’re staring down at the guy who just happened to be your first kiss, laying dead as a doornail, and you know with one touch, he wouldn’t be. Yeah, real funny.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Series: Meet Your Baker [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006704
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	Pine Overcoats & Rainbow Bridges

**Author's Note:**

> What is this you ask? Why did I decide to make an Au of a show from the early 2000's about a crime-solving Pie Maker who can bring people back to life? Because I woke up with the title Meet Your Baker and I really wanted to use it okay, don't judge me. Also the amazing combination of angst and pining that Pushing Daises delivers on made me do it. I'm simply at the whim of my muse.

Death is a funny thing. Not piss your pants laughing kind of funny. Bizarre, curious, odd, strange, _queer_. That, kind of funny. 

Of course, it does become _funny_ , when you’re staring down at the guy who just happened to be your first kiss, laying dead as a doornail, and you know that with one touch, he wouldn’t be. Yeah, _real funny_.

“Did you know the departed well?” Billy looks up startled at the funeral director who’d shown them into the viewing room. 

“We- uh used to be neighbors,” Billy croaks out, and as the funeral director’s eyebrows raise in surprise Billy can see Hopper roll his eyes. He realizes too late that generally, you don’t go to the funerals of ex-neighbors.

“ _Very close_ neighbors. You wouldn’t mind leaving us for a bit? _For grieving_ ,” Jim says gruffly, and the funeral director looks between them for a moment, unsure, but then nods and backs out of the room closing the door with a quiet _click_.

“He really was my neighbor,” Billy says softly, hands already itching to bring back that smile he’d missed so much. Hopper is quiet a moment, as he moves closer to the casket, inspecting it solemnly.

“I’m sorry kid,” Hopp pats him once, hard on the shoulder, as they both look to the still face of Steve Harrington. Billy wishes they hadn’t done up his face. He looks waxy and more like a mannequin than a corpse, and Billy’s much more used to the latter. And whoever styled his hair slicked back, deserves a special place in Hell.

“Do you- mind if I do this one alone?” Billy asks, looking back up at Hopp pleadingly.

“No, go ahead- just remember, we need to know what he was doing on that boat, and who-”

“Who killed him, _I know_. I’m a professional at this point, Hopp,” Billy says pushing him away, trying to bring back their usual levity. Dead bodies were their thing, just because this one happened to have locked lips with him fifteen years ago shouldn’t make it any different.

It does though.

“Right well, I’ll leave you to it then,” Hopp says, with one final awkward pat to the back he’s out of the room, and Billy is alone.

But only for a moment.

Unthinkingly, because this is how they’d left it the last time they were together, Billy leans down and presses his lips to Steve’s. It’s only a moment, a terrifying, still moment, before Steve’s eyes open. Billy pulls back instantly, hand going to his watch, preset for the minute timer. 

He’s only got a minute.

“Billy?” Steve’s voice sounds normal, lungs filled with oxygen, once again inhaling and exhaling. As if they hadn’t been drowned in sea water 7 days ago.

“Hi, Steve,” Billy takes another step back, wary as he gives an awkward wave. 

“What are you doing here?” Steve asks, blinking in surprise as he sits up in his own casket. It hasn’t hit him yet Billy realizes, he doesn’t _know_. Sometimes it does take them a moment to recognize their surroundings, longer if they’ve been dead for a bit. 

“I’m here to see you,” Billy says, trying to keep his voice steady. Steve’s eyebrows raise, but he doesn’t look unhappy. 

“Oh- it’s been a while hasn’t it?” Steve asks, hand moving to grasp the side of the casket like he’s about to casually throw his leg over the side. Billy looks down at his watch. 50 seconds left. 

“ _Too long,_ ” he glances back up, trying not to grimace. He should have told Hopp to leave it, let someone else solve this case. Steve is- the same, the same but so different from when he was eleven and the love of Billy’s young life. 

He’s dead for one.

“I do have some questions though if you don’t mind?” Billy asks, clearing his throat as the staring continues on too long. 

“ _Okay?_ ” Steve says slowly, questioningly and Billy nods biting his lip.

“What were you doing on Santa Marina Cruise Liner?”

“Well, it- it was a free trip. I won it- I think… the travel agent told me it was a special promotional thing, all I had to do was drop off this package when I got off and I-” Steve pauses, eyebrows furrowing, and Billy nearly curses in frustration. He’s catching on now.

“Steve?” Billy glances down at his watch. 30 seconds.

“Someone pushed me off the boat- I- how did I survive that?”

“Well uh-” 25 seconds.

“I _couldn’t_ have survived that.”

“Do you know who pushed you?” Billy asks, voice rushed.

“No I- he had on a balaclava, and I was alone on the deck so no one saw-” Steve stops, and for the first time since his eyes have opened, he looks around at where he is. 15 seconds.

“I’m in a coffin,” he says quietly, focus trailing from his seat to the ill-fitting suit, and the Roses in large vases on either side.

“Casket actually,” Billy mutters and Steve turns to him with a look of disbelief.

“I didn’t survive that fall did I?”

“No, you didn’t,” Billy answers truthfully, and Steve’s mouth purses, still shiny from the thick layer of Vaseline the funeral home had applied.

“Then- how am I- _not_ dead?”

“Funny story- well not _funny_ , more like strange but I-” Billy glances down at his watch, and his breath catches. 1 second. 

And he watches it pass, and Steve keeps breathing. 

“I brought you back.”


End file.
